A Rip In Time
Chapters Thirteen through Fifteen
Chapter Thirteen
Special thanks to Nightwolf and Hannahoohoo for helping me get out of the corner I wrote myself into with this chapter. :)
The Enterprise was heavily damaged. It's crew was floating in orbit around Betazed. It had, in essences, become a satallite, like it were a second moon to Betazed. The ship was without power of it's own and had no communication or weapons.
The planet below was just as helpless. The people had no way to communicate with the outside world, much less the Enterprise. They had to fend for themselves and take care of their own wounded.
Children cried at the side of their mother's or father's listless bodies. Mothers cried at the loss of their babies. Fathers and husbands wandered around looking for their lost family members. Still others wandered around in shock from the traumatic incident.
Fires were burning where buildings had fallen from the various storms. Trees were down or still falling. Debris from various sources laid all around the ground.
Betazed was a complete disastor site. What was once a beautiful planet had fallen into ruins in a matter of minutes.
Garth had no idea what the death toll may have been, but he knew it was going to devistatingly high as he surveyed the area around him. His wife and Chandra walked up behind him and embraced him. Then Chandra and her mother hug Teb and the children. They were thankful they were alive and together.
The Xerx's were one of the lucky families who still had all their family members alive and accounted for. Many others were not so lucky.
"Garth!" A young man yelled frantically. "You have to help us! My wife, Surrina is trapped under a fallen building, but she's alive! She was yelling for help and that's how I found her!"
Garth Xerx ran towards the frantic man and sent his agreement to help. Then Garth followed the gentle man to where his wife laid buried.
The injuried were coming into Sickbay on foot and on anti-gravs. Those with the worst injuries were seen first. The others were place in triage until they were able to be treated. However, the dead were left until everyone alive had been attended to medically.
None of them caused Beverly to loose her professional footing. Not even seeing Deanna on an anti-grav unconscious.
"Put her on the bio-bed stat!" Beverly ordered. Will had ignored his own injuries and followed the group with Deanna into Sickbay.
While Beverly scanned her motionless body, Will asked, "Is she going to be alright, Doctor?" He knew she was alive or they would not have brought her into Sickbay. They would have left her and went on to the other unconscious bodies if she were dead.
"She has a severe concussion, contussions, a broken arm and rib and deep lasserations. Her condition is critical." Beverly informed him. Then she turn to face him and touched his arm reassuringly. "We'll do everything we can for her, Will. I promise."
"I know you will, but please, don't chase me away. I want to stay with her until I know she's alright."
"OK, but stay out of our way."
"You got it, Doc." He groan from his own injuries as he laid on the bio-bed beside Deanna.
"I'll send someone over here to have a look at you as soon as possible."
"It's just a few bumps and bruises. I'll be alright."
Then Beverly saw Jean-Luc Picard and she lost all her professionalism. "Jean-Luc!"
Blood was oozing from his chest from a rib that was sticking out of him. Beverly's hands shook as she scanned him. On the inside a rib had broken and punctured his
aorta, barely missing his artificle heart. His blood pressure was extremely low.
His condition was extremely critical. "Damn you, Jean-Luc! Don't you die on me!" Beverly cried as she tried to hook him up to have his vitals monitor by the computer. "Damn it!" She swore again and hit the bulkhead, as she found out the system was not working.
Dr. Selar, noticing Beverly's human emotional state and outburst, walked over to her. "Dr. Crusher, allow me to take care of the captain." She said with complete Vulcan emotional control. "It would be illogical for you to attend to him in your state of mind."
"No, I can do this." She said, but her tone of voice sounded as though she could burst into tears. She feared her beloved captain could die on the table at any moment.
"He would have more success at surviving, if the person doing the surgery on him had no personal emotions involved."
Beverly started to deny any personal involvement, then change her mind. "You're right."
She handed the bio-scan to Dr. Selar and went back to attending other patients, but her
mind was on Jean-Luc. No matter how hard she tried to push her concern for him out of her mind, she just could not.
Lwaxana was carried in unconscious. "Mother! Mother! Please tell me she's alright!" Barin cried. "Please!"
Beverly quickly scanned Lwaxana. She notice an elevation of several neuro-chemicals in her brain related to emotional trauma.
"She was conscious, but then she started screaming and crying about Deanna." Briana suddenly stops talking when she sees her cousin lying on a bio-bed unconscious.
"Deanna will be fine." Beverly tried to reassure Briana.
"No, she's not!" Briana cried and her speech became rapid. "Don't try to reassure me she will be, because you don't know for sure yourself! You're just trying to keep me calm, so I don't get upset! Well, I am upset and I can sense what's going on here. My aunt is scared Deanna will die and you try to convince me differently! Well, Deanna is hurt badly!"
"Briana." Beverly interrupted. "I can't help anyone if you're going to be screaming and yelling. If you don't calm down I'll have to sedate you."
Barin tugged on Beverly's lab coat. She looked down and saw he had tears in his eyes. "Is my mother and sister going to die? Please don't tell me they're going to die."
Beverly looked at the badly bruised and bleeding child. Tears weld up in her eyes and she started to cry. She reached down to lift him up, but he screamed in pain.
Her tears suddenly stopped. She quickly lifted his shirt and saw a massive bruise on his side. She grabbed another bioscanner and scanned his side. "Well, no broken ribs. You're a lucky guy, Barin."
"No, I'm not! My mommy and sister may be dying!" He shrieked.
Beverly started to cry again. "Your mother is going to be fine. She just passed out due to emotional trauma. That means, she was so upset her body couldn't handle it and she fainted."
"She's not dead?" He asked sobbing.
"No." Beverly smiled through her tears.
"What about my sister?" He asked in his four year old voice.
"To be honest, I can't say, but we are doing the best we can." Beverly reassured him. "Now, I need the two of you to let us do our job in order to save your sister and others. Someone will be a long shortly to take care of your wounds and bruises. Can you two do that for me?"
Breana, bruised and still shakened, nodded her head yes. She could not talk for fear of crying again.
"Yes, ma'am." Barin answered.
"OK." Beverly said gently. "Sit over there in that corner with the nice lady. Her name is Guinan. She'll look after you two and make sure you get the help you need when we are ready for you two."
They both nodded and Beverly led them over to Guinan. "Guinan, have you met Barin, Lwaxana's son, and her neice, Briana?"
"No, but I have heard of them." Guinan answered. "Nice to meet you. Would you like to have a seat?"
The children quietly sat down near Guinan. "I don't bite, but I do serve ice cream, except there's no place to serve ice cream at the moment. Tell you what, when this is over, I'll make you two a big bowl of ice cream with any topping you like. How's that?"
Barin tried to smile through all the bruises and wounds on his face then grimaced in pain. "I'd like that. Once I can eat it."
"I, for one, am sixteen and I don't need to be treated like a child!" Briana informed Guinan infactically.
"Oh, so that means at sixteen you don't eat ice cream anymore?"
"Well, yes. I do eat ice cream." Briana said regretting what she had said.
Beverly, convinced that the children were going to be fine, went back to attending patients.
Fire was burning in Engineering and the sprinkler system was not working nor the force fields. Geordi and others were pounding on the doors, trying to get anyone's attention.
Some even tried themselves to pry the doors open, but to no avail. They were trapped with no help in sight.
However, Worf was a few feet away from Engineering and had heard the banging. "Leiutenant, we have people trapped in Engineering!"
The leiutenant ran up beside Worf and they ran to the doors. Together they tried to pull the doors open. Worf growled in anger at not having the strength to open the doors.
The leiutenant knocked back on the doors and there was a response. He and Worf looked at each other.
"Can you hear us?" Worf yelled.
No response.
"Well." Worf began. "We know people are in there and alive. How many are alive, we don't know."
The leiutenant nodded.
"We have to figure out some way to get these doors open." Worf said thoughtfully. "Too bad Data's circuits were blown out."
The banging suddenly started to get frantic and louder. Worf jumped and tried even harder to get the doors open. This time he put all of his growl into his muscles as he pulled.
With the desparate help of the others on the other side, the doors started to spread slightly. The lieutenant joined Worf in his attempt to open them on the outside.
Finally, the doors opened just enough for people to slide through coughing and gagging. Some fell to the deck as soon as they reached the outside of Engineering.
"Worf, I can't see a thing, but we have to get that fire put out."
"Geordi, all the systems are down." Worf informed him as he watched Geordi feel his way threw the doors and down the walls.
Worf tapped his combadge. Nothing happened as he had expected. All communications went down shortly after he contacted Sickbay about the injured on the Bridge and there had been no means to contact anyone since then.
"We could reshut the doors and hope they work as a barrier." Worf suggested.
"That would work temporarily, but you're forgetting something." Geordi informed him. "The farther that fire spreads and gets closer to the warp core, the more danger we are in. We need to evacuate the ship or get that fire put out."
"We can't evacuate." Worf said staring towards the floor in thought and despair. "All systems are down."
"What about the back up systems?" Geordi asked in surprise.
"All systems have been down for several minutes." Worf informed him. "I haven't a clue why they haven't come on yet."
There was a struggling whirling sound and lights blinked on and off. Geordi recognized the sound. "That didn't sound good."
"I recommend we evacuate as soon as we can." Worf stated.
One more struggling sound of the back up systems and the lights flashed again. Finally, the lights stayed on, a force field went up and smothered the fire in Engineering before it reached the warp core.
"Lights are on, but I still recommend we evacuate." Worf said as he looked around towards the blinking lights.
"I agree. Where's the captain?" Geordi asked.
"He's in critical condition in Sickbay."
"Commander Riker?"
"Sickbay." Worf answered. "But we can still talk to him. He is not critical."
"Data?"
"Short circuited."
"Worf, you're not giving me much encouragement here."
"I'm sorry, Commander." Worf apologized. "Well, the fire is put out, thanks to the back up systems finally coming on."
"Worf, I need your help to get to Sickbay without my visor."
"I'll help you. Worf answered. Ensign Chang, help get this other person to Sickbay. Lieutenant Mosley, take as many of the rest these people with you as you can to find anyone else who needs help."
"Aye, Sir."
Worf turned to Geordi. How do I?"
As though reading Worf's mind, Geordi said, "Hold your elbow out and I'll hold on to it as you lead me to Sickbay."
Worf did so and they headed off to Sickbay to talk to Commander Riker. It took a while, for the back up systems were sluggish.
Finally, they arrived in Sickbay. Worf stopped Nurse Ogawan. Where is Commander Riker?" He demanded in his Klingon voice.
She pointed to him on the other side of Sickbay and Worf spotted him. Then he directed his voice to Geordi. "Let's go."
Geordi followed Worf's lead and headed directly to Riker. "Commander." Worf addressed him.
Riker opened his eyes and sat up on the bio-bed. "Yes, Worf?"
"I recommend we evacuate."
"What for?"
"Due to the back up systems being irratic. We could use the escape pods and shuttles' systems to beam people to them and evacuate."
"And the seriously critically wounded, like Captain Picard?"
"We could use the anti-gravs to carry them to the shuttles."
Will sighed. He hated to evacuate, but they were sitting ducks where they were and he knew keeping all the people on board was risky right now.
"What about the transporters? Are they working now?"
"Sir, if I could get a visor replicated some how, I could tell you more of what's going on with the systems." Geordi stated.
Will knew Geordi needed his visor in order to help with the situation. He sighed again. "Granted. Then, I want you to check on the transporters and see how they are working. I want to use every available means to calmly evacuate everyone we can."
"Understood." Worf and Geordi said in unison.
"We'll beam as many ambulatory people down as we can by way of the transporters. Others can use escape pods. The seriously wounded and as many critically wounded as we can, we'll beam aboard the shuttles and transport them that way. All others will be moved by way of anti-grav to the shuttles, if we can."
"Understood." They said in unison again.
Dr. Crusher was attending to Deanna and was trying to listen at the same time to the conversation. "Dr. Crusher?" Will called to her.
"Yes?"
"Is it possible to move the captain?"
"Dr. Selar is operating on him now." She said forelornly. "I'm not even sure if he can be moved by way of anti-grav, right now."
"Damn." Will said under his breath.
"His condition is very critical." She said sadly. Worried filled her face. "I'm not sure." She stopped herself before she finished her thought.
Will nodded. "Let's do the best we can to evacuate as many as we can. As soon as Dr. Selar is finished with Captain Picard and agrees to have him moved, we'll get him down to Betazed some how."
Beverly nodded, but her face was very sad. She was not sure if he was going to live or not. She could only hope that Dr. Selar was able to save his life.
Will looked at Deanna worriedly. "Can we beam her to a shuttle to evacuate her?"
"I think so. I see no reason why we can't, but as soon as possible, I'm going to have to treat her concussion further. I have to take the pressure off her brain."
Will did not like the sound of what Beverly was saying, but understood Deanna's concussion was very serious. "Have as many available people you have gather as many medical supplies as you need. I have a feeling the people on Betazed are going to need medical help too."
"Yes, I'm sure they will." Beverly agreed.
"The captain?" Worf asked.
"Hopefully, he and Dr. Selar don't go down with the ship. Hopefully, they are able to get off of this ship before it's too late. They'll have to be the last ones off the ship. In the meantime, pray for a miricle."
"Aye." Worf nodded.
"Data? Can we get him up and running at the same time? Then get him off of here also?"
"Yes. Hopefully it won't take too long, but I can get him functioning again." Geordi replied.
"Good. Do it. Let's get busy and get these people off this ship!" Will ordered.
Chapter Fourteen
The evacuation had gone very smoothly. Beverly had finally beamed down carrying medical supplies, just as her staff had also done. She looked around at all the devastation on Betazed and felt as though she wanted to cry. She had never seen anything so tragic and could only assume it was planet wide.
"We may have more injured than we can handle." She thought sadly. "And the dead. It has to be massive from the looks of things."
"Doctor?" Nurse Ogawan tried to get her attention. Beverly turned to her and she continued. "Where should we set up?"
Beverly had not a clue with all the debris scattered everywhere. "We're going to have to clear out a place as quickly as we can and get the critical placed there. I think the best place would be in the middle there, where there is less debris than anywhere else." She pointed to a place a few meters away.
"Yes, Doctor. We'll get on it immediately."
Beverly had not been mentally prepared for such devistation in her life or her career. The planet looked like it had been heavily attacked by enemies during war time.
Fires were still smoldering and trees were still falling. Building laid in shambles and people wandered aimlessly. Water sprayed from pipes and hover crafts were upside down. Everything was in disarray and devastation.
She had been lost in thought when she heard a screaming toddler. She turned and saw the little boy crawling over what had to have been his mother. He tried to raise her arm in an effort to make her get up, but she did not move. He cried and screamed some more.
Beverly walked over to him. quot;Hello." She tried to smile a friendly smile, but it pained her to see the scene before her. "I'm here to help."
As the boy stared at her, she ran the scanner over his mother and it confirmed what she had thought. She ran the scanner over the boy and he appeared to be fine with some mild cuts and bruises. He appeared to be at least two years old to Beverly and was capable of walking.
However, she wanted to pick up the sweet looking little boy and find living relatives to take care of him. When she reached out to him he recoiled and screamed "NO!"
"I'm here to help. I promise I won't hurt you. Let's see if we can find your daddy or someone who knows you."
"NO! NO GO! Stay with mommy." He said in a demanding two year old voice.
"Honey, you can't stay here."
"NO GO!" He screamed. "STAY!" Then he pulled on his mother's arm again. "Up mommy. Mommy up."
Beverly did not have a clue how to tell the tiny child that his efforts were futile. That his mother will never get up again and that he had looked death square in the face at his young age. She knew she had to try, though, in order to get him to a place he could be taken care of and safe.
"Can you tell me your name?"
"Why?"
"Because I'd like to call you something more than just honey."
"Why?"
She shook her head. "This isn't getting anywhere." She thought.
"UP MOMMY!" He begged as he tugged on her still body some more. "UP!"
"Hun, you're mommy is gone."
"Not gone. Here." He said. "UP!"
Beverly sat on the ground beside him and said in a sweet voice. "Could you please listen for a minute."
"Mommy up!"
Beverly wanted to cry. "She's not going to get up, Dear. She's gone to." She tried to search her mind for the Betazoids' equivalent to Heaven, but could not remember the word. "Um. She's gone to what Humans call Heaven."
"No, she's here!" He cried. "Up, mommy!"
She did not have time to for convincing a two year old that his mother was dead. She had to get back to Deanna and her other patients.
"UUUP MOMMEEEEEEEE!" His cries were getting desparate again.
Beverly could almost get angry with these people, but she realized they were walking around in shock or had their own families they were despartely looking for. They only wanted to find their families and a crying baby that was not theirs was not at the top of their list right now. Especially for those who were in shock.
Then she saw Mrs. Xerx approaching. "I am so glad to see you." Beverly said with relief in her voice.
"There's a woman they just unburied from some rubble. She's hurt badly."
"OK, I'll go look at her, but I need your help, too. This little boy needs help. He's alone and I can't get through to him that he needs to go to where the rest of his family can find him, if they are alive."
Mrs. Xerx looked down at the child, who was still trying to get his mother to get up and come with him. She gasped at the fact that he had lost his mother. She knew there was no life in his mother and she knew what she had to do to help the child.
"Yes, I'll take charge of him. You go and take care of the woman. Her husband works with my husband, so they can give you more information on her."
Beverly nodded. "Thank you, Mrs. Xerx."
"Yes, it looks like I'm going to have my work cut out for me, here."
Beverly took one last glance at the young tot and wanted to cry for him. Then she went off in the direction Mrs. Xerx had came from when she saw her. As she did, she past her people getting everything set up for triage and treatment of the critically wounded. The mobile unit was being set up very quickly and efficiently.
She saw Deanna was being taken care of by Nurse Ogawan. She was comfident in her nurse's abilities, so she went on to help the injured woman.
Beverly arrived at the scene and saw people making great efforts to see if there were anymore people trapped within the fallen building. Then she spotted a man leaning over a woman and reassuring her everything was going to be fine. She also saw Garth Xerx near by trying to help the best he could and knew that was the woman Mrs. Xerx was talking about.
She walked over to the the man and woman. "I'm a doctor. I'm here to help."
The woman's husband moved out of the way and allowed Doctor Crusher to scan her. "She's badly hurt with broken bones. I need a stretcher to move her. I promise I'll be back with more help and we'll take her to where we are treating people."
"Thank you, Doctor." Said the man gratefully.
She arrived back to the mobile hospital that was set up and filling with injured people quickly. "I need a stretcher about two blocks down in that direction. There's a woman with dark hair seriously injured with her husband watching over her."
"Doctor." Said another nurse that was approaching her.
"Counselor Troi is starting to come around slowly. She's in and out, but she is starting to come to."
"Thank you." Then she turned back to the staff she assigned to get the woman. "Go get her and meet me back here."
They nodded and headed quickly to find the woman and Beverly went over to Deanna. She scanned her again. "Deanna, can you hear me?" There was no response. Deanna moaned softly, but her eyes were closed and she made no sign that she had heard Beverly.
Beverly sighed and thought. "At least her ribs, arm and other wounds are sutured. Maybe her body will do the rest soon."
"Alyssa, she's still unstable. Let's continue monitoring her vitals every fifteen minutes. If she doesn't revive on her own here soon, I'm going to have to do surgery. I'd rather not if I don't have to, but the pressure has to be relieved. Keep me informed of her condition."
"Understood, Doctor."
Beverly's mind went back to Jean-Luc. She hoped he was doing well and Dr. Selar would have him stablized soon, so he could be transported down to the planet. She worried the longer they stayed on the ship the more likely they could both die. She hoped and prayed that did not happen.
"Doctor, the woman who had been in the fallen building is here." Informed another nurse.
"Thank you." Beverly walked over to the woman and began treating her injuries.
"Doctor, we have another who just arrived. They're profusely bleeding from their head."
"I'll get to them as soon as I can." She said irritably. Then she regretted it as fast as she had said it. The stress of so many patients was getting to her and the Enterprise did not have enough doctors to treat all these people. She knew, since they did not have enough people to aid the wounded there would be more casualities. She did not like the prospects of helping these people successfully.
She had finished with the woman and was moving on to the next patient when she spotted Geordi.
"Geordi!" She greeted him anxiously and approached him. "Do we have any communications online."
Geordi shook his head. "I'm working on it. The only communications we have, is on the shuttles. We've made an emergency call to the nearest Starfleet medical ship and any other ship that can assist us. Starfleet has been sent the information and we can only hope they receive our distress call soon."
Beverly sighed. "Well, at least we have some of the medical staff that was on the planet still alive and able to assist us with all these people, but we need more medical staff than what is on the Enterprise and here on Betazed."
"Doctor." Geordi said sympathetically. "We are doing the best we can."
"I know, Geordi. You're just as overwhelmed as we are."
"Well, I have to find Worf and Data. We need some help removing some heavy objects to get to whatever we can find of whatever is left of the communication on this planet."
Beverly nodded and watched him leave for a moment, then went to the next patient. She could not get over what a disastor area the planet was. She wondered briefly if
The people, else where on the planet, were getting the help they need. It was a big planet and the one mobile unit was not going to be able to cover the whole planet. She decided as soon as she could talk to Commander Riker she would check on the situation of the rest of the planet.
Suddenly a woman cried. "OH, GODS! NO!"
Beverly looked up from her patient. The woman looked as if she could collaspe from shock and there was no doctor anywhere close to her. So Beverly ran over to her quickly and caught the woman before she fell to the wet ground.
"Help me get her down on a cot." Beverly yelled and assistance came to her quickly. They laid her down and then Beverly scanned the man the woman had been standing over. It was apparent the man was very close to her and she sensed his death. There were so many critically injured people that they could not get to all of them. Beverly felt bad for the woman, but she did not have time to help her at this moment. She was thankful the woman was unconscious for the time being.
The critically and seriously wounded had to be treated first. She felt she was being very cold to the people who had not been wounded so badly, but they had to have
priorities in this situation. Even with the priorities, they still could not save everyone like she would have liked to do.
An assistant came to remove the body so they could have room for more wounded. It seemed to Beverly, as she treated another critically wounded person, that it was the aftermath of a serious battle in a war. A battle that Betazed and the Enterprise had lost.
The people of Betazed were emotionally traumatized as they sensed the pain of the injuried and the deathes of those they loved. There was crying everywhere from pain and suffering to death of loved ones. There was no escaping the emotions of these people and Beverly sensed their feelings profoundly as she treated the wounded.
"We need a doctor over here, Stat!" Ogawan suddenly yelled. "This woman's going into cardiac arrest!"
Beverly was closest, so she ran over to do what she could, but it was futile. Just as others had been and the people who loved her cried out in anguished as they sensed her death.
She tried to confort herself, by telling herself that they have saved several people.
However, the death toll was mounting and she only hoped they did not loose anymore of their own people from the Enterprise. She also wished that no more on Betazed were lost, but she knew some were too critical. It was just a matter of time.
She glaced towards Deanna's unconscious body. The one bright light in all of this to her. She was now stabilizing and her prospects looked good. Beverly was glad of it too, for she knew there were several people who would be lost without Deanna, if anything happened to her.
"Dr. Crusher." It was Selar's voice. Beverly's heart jump as she turned to Selar with hope Jean-Luc was fine. "The captain has just been brought down by shuttle. He is still critical, but his condition should hopefully improve in a few days."
Beverly smiled. She felt another glimmer of hope in all this tragedy. "Thank you, Doctor Selar."
Lwaxana had revived and was her old self again. "I want to know why no one is attending my daughter!" She demanded as she wandered deeper into the mobile unit towards Doctor Crusher and Selar. "Someone needs to be with her constantly!"
Beverly wheeled around. "We are doing the best we can. There are several other people here that need help and we have to attend to them all."
"Doctor Crusher, allow me." Requested Selar calmly.
"Be my guest." Beverly said flustered and moved on to other patients.
Selar spent less than two minutes listening to the ranting Lwaxana Troi, before she placed her hand on Lwaxana's shoulder. Lwaxana dropped from Selar's grip, but Selar grabbed her before she fell completely to the ground.
"What did you do to my mother!" Barin's four year old voice yelled and he rushed up to his mother.
"She is not harmed. Just silenced for the moment and I suggest you do the same."
Barin covered his mouth so not to say another word, as did Briana. Guinan guided the frightened children out of the mobile unit in silence as Selar went to work helping patients.
Will busied himself with getting things in order. He had Geordi and his team's priority to be communications. Data and Worf, with their teams, had search and rescue. All that was left is for him to help out where he could.
He tried his best not to worry about Deanna, but her unconscious injured body haunted him. He had to know how she was doing, so he chose to make his next job be to take the next injured person they found to the mobile unit.
As he suspected, it did not take long to find the next injured person. A child of about eight years, had been stuck under boards of what was once her home. She was conscious and talking, but could not walk because her leg was broken.
Will carried the child to the mobile unit, but worried, that since the girl was not critical, that she would have to wait in line. To his relief, a nurse lead him, with the girl, to a cot and she was treated almost immediately. The girl was not going to loose her leg and he was happy to see a glimmer of hope.
He had seen some children were not so lucky. They had not survive the storms caused from the rift. They would not get to play in the Betazed sun another day. He had also seen other children without parents to look after them. He had saw babies motionless and without breath and babies beside their mothers' still bodies.
He felt he was in a living nightmere. Why he had talked the captain into misaligning the warp drive slightly he did not know now. He knew the dangers of doing that and he was now beating himself up for suggesting such a course of action. It was more than he could bare and everyone, including his Imzadi and the captain, were paying the price for such a move.
He finally spied Deanna and walked over to her. He cupped her hand between his hands and silently begged that she was going to be alright.
Then Deanna stirred slightly and gave another soft moan. Her eyes slowly opened and then she closed them again. The screams of sorrow and mourning bang against her brain like a hammer. Their feelings hit her mind like a rock being thrown at her.
Relieved to see her open her eyes, Will smiled and softly asked, "How do you feel?"
Deanna whispered, "My head feels like it's going to explode. I don't even want to sense people's feelings, it hurts so bad."
He leaned over and gently hugged her. "I'm glad you're going to be alright." He whispered into her ear. Then he kissed her cheek.
"I don't feel like it." She spoke softly because it took a lot of effort to talk and was very painful.
Will caressed her cheek. "You rest. I'll be back to check on you again later."
Deanna did not respond, but instead drifted back into unconsciousness. Will could almost feel the pain she was in and wish he could not, but yet it gave him a feeling of relief to empathise with her pain. He knew she was alive that way and that eased his own hurt.
Will rose and started to leave to check on Geordi's progress with the communication system on Betazed. As he left the mobile unit he saw the mass of wounded people. Some from the Enterprise and some from Betazed. Doctors scurried around trying to help everyone they could, but yet he knew the medical team was not enough. They needed more doctors and nurses. They needed more medical supplies. They needed all the help they could get.
What laid ahead seemed an insurmountable task, but one that had to be accomplished, so that no more people died. A task Will felt they could not fail. He was determined to get help for everyone that was now still alive on the planet. No matter what it took.
Chapter Fifteen
It was nearly twenty-four hours later and still no hope in sight. Beverly was exhausted from lack of sleep. She was looking haggard from endless hours of treating injured people.
Still people were coming from all around the city. Search and rescue teams were bring them in from all around. Finding them in every nook and cranny of what was once a large city.
Beverly was begining to feel there was no hope in sight, until a shimmer of lights appeared in the air. Her hopes brighten as she saw it was a medical crew.
The leader of the group gasped in horror at what he saw. "Looks like a bloody barren waste land, compared to what it look like several days ago!"
Once they finished gawking at the sight of what was left of Betazed they approached Alyssa, who happened to be the first one in their path as they entered the mobile unit. "I would like to speak with the CMO in charge here."
Alyssa pointed towards Beverly. "She's over there attending another patient."
"Thank you."
Beverly would have gladly walked over to the medical team, but she had her hands full with the patient before her. Another critically wounded person. One of a thousand who passed through the unit. The prospects for this patient was not good. The damage to his body was too extensive and Beverly had little hope of saving the person. She had little hope left for anything after almost twenty-four hours straight of treating patient after patient, only to loose half of those critically wounded.
"You the CMO here?"
"Yes, Doctor Beverly Crusher. I'd offer to shake your hand, but." She held her hand a little ways from the patient. Her hand was covered with a medical glove and the sight was typical of having been working with a trauma patient. She had been trying to do her best to repair the damage that had been done to him.
"It's quite alright, Doctor. I'm Captain Sarato of the USS Glassior, a medical ship." He replied, not flinching at the sight before him. He had seen surgery cases many times, especially truama emergency medical unit ones. "We were the closest medical ship in the vicinity when we received your distress call. Is that the Enterprise up there?"
"Yes. Or it was." Beverly said sadly.
"My God! What the hell happened?"
"Long story." Beverly stated, brushing off his question.
"How many medical units are there here?"
"Just the one, unless individual cities created their own. We're it."
"We're going to need med. units all around the planet. Lieutenent, contact Starfleet and tell them we need med. units for every major and minor city. We may not get it, but that's what we need. Show them our readings on this planet if you have to, but get med. units all over this planet anyway you can."
"Aye, Sir." Said the lieutenent.
"Doctor Crusher, I'm relieving you of duty for the time being."
"Sir, there's patients."
"I realize you are the CMO here, but I out rank you. I can't have medical staff suffering from exhaustion, while on duty during a rescue mission. Get some rest. You look like Hell."
Beverly wanted to tell him she had been through Hell, was in Hell, and no matter if she got some rest she would still be in Hell when she awoke. That is, if she could sleep. She fearred she would have nightmeres from all this if she fell asleep.
Instead, she said, "Thank you, Sir. I will."
"Very well, I'll call you back to duty in a few hours. Commander Carlton, I want a six hour rotation on the staff we currently have. I want four teams to be station here and then skeleton crews around the rest of the planet with what is left of our crew. Fill the crews as best you can with any other rescue teams that arrive. Adding more crews around the planet as we can. Understood?"
"Yes, Sir."
Captain Sarato took over the medical rescue mission as Beverly went to do as ordered. She stopped by to check on Deanna before she completely left the unit for rest.
Commander Riker was visiting Deanna again, when she arrived. "Hello, Doctor."
"Hi, Will." Beverly greeted tiredly. "Has she awaken again since you arrived?"
"She's awake now, but the light of the morning sun hurts her head."
"Well, it's a good sign that she's awake." Beverly said. "I just wish he'd let me examine her again, before he boots me off duty."
"Who is he?"
"Captain Sarato of the USS Glassior, Medical Ship."
"Oh, he out ranks you."
"Yes." She said, even though she knew it was not a question.
Suddenly, a young woman ran up to them from no where. "Please! You must help me! My a, friend, is trapped under a tree in the Jalara."
"The Jalara?" Riker asked in surprise.
"Yes."
"Didn't you get the message that everyone was to stay together?"
"What message?"
"Never mind. Data! Worf!"
Data and Worf rushed over to Riker. "Yes, Sir."
"Data, you're in charge. Worf, you're with me. Bring a stretcher."
"Aye, Sir." Worf rumbled.
"Data, Worf and I are going into the Jalara to rescue a man. I need you to take charge of the search and rescue missions here until I get back."
"Will, you can't just leave. You're in command."
"Beverly, I know that jungle better than any Starfleet officer here. Trust me."
"But." Beverly continued to protest.
"Let him go, Bev." Deanna said weakly.
"OK, but I don't like it." She gave in, as she crossed her arms.
"I'll be fine." Will said, putting a reassuring hand on Beverly's shoulder. "You stay here with Deanna and get some rest. You look like Hell."
Beverly shook her head. "You and Sarato."
"Show us where he is." Will asked the young woman.
The woman led him and Worf in the direction of the Jalara as fast as she could. Will observed her and she reminded him of a younger version of Deanna. She had long dark curly hair and ebony eyes that were round and large.
"So, what were you two doing in the Jalara."
"I'd rather not say. It's personal."
"I see. So, what's his name?"
"Charles."
"Charles? That's a human name."
"Yes, it is." She said in a manner that asked if he wanted to make something of it.
"It's alright." Will reassured her. "My fiancee' is from Betazed."
"Oh, OK." She said sounding relieved.
"I gather you are not full Betazoid."
"How did you guess?"
"Well, if you were, you would have known that I did not mean anything when I said your." He paused knowing full well the real story. "Friend, was Human."
"Your fiancee' is part Betazoid?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact."
Worf listened silently to the conversation. He was wondering why Riker was so intrigued by this woman. Then he looked the woman over and realized part of the reason why, but he was not sure of the rest of the reason.
"Lucky man."
"I think so." Will said with a smile.
Their conversation paused when she stopped and slowed her pace. "There's a sand trap around here, becareful"
"Sandtrap?" Worf asked.
"Yes, they're like quicksand only quicker." Will replied.
"So you've been here before?" The woman asked.
"Yes. I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."
"Calana."
"I'm Will Riker and this is Worf." Will informed her. "Watch it, Worf."
Will picked up a rock and sure enough there was the sandtrap. The rock disappeared immediately.
"That was quick." Worf retorted.
"Yes, I've seen small animals sink in less than five seconds and a man sink in less than twenty seconds. Not a pretty sight." Will informed him.
"I bet not." Worf replied deeply.
"He's over here." Calana stated and headed to the left of the sandtrap.
They finally reached Charles and to Riker's dismay he was wearing a Starfleet uniform. He held the rank of ensign. The tree laid across his lower back and buttocks.
Will tried to ignore the fact the man had a uniform on and asked no further questions of the woman. "Charles, we're going to get this tree off of you. Worf."
"Aye, Sir."
The two men grunted and groaned until they finally got the tree off of him. Charles felt nothing as they moved the tree off of him. Will scanned his vitals.
"I can't feel my legs." Charles informed them with panic in his voice. "I thought I would once the tree was off of me, but I can't feel them."
"Spinal cord injury." Will frowned. "We'll have to be very careful getting him on the stretcher."
"Aye." Worf said nodding his head.
They slid the stretcher under him carefully. Then lifted him up and carried him back to the mobile unit. The trek back was slower than it was getting to him, but they had to use caution as they transported him.
Will would have preferred an anti-grave, but it would not have been efficient in the jungle. In fact, it could have been more of a hazard.
"Will he be alright?" Calana asked.
"He'll live, but other than that, I don't know. I'm not a doctor." Will answered her.
"Will I still be able to stay in Starfleet?"
"Ensign, if the doctors can help you walk again, I'm sure you can continue with whatever your goals were." Will said as though he did not want to discuss anything.
"You're not going to say anything to anyone, are you Commander?"
"About what?"
Charles closed his eyes as though relieved. "Thank you."
"For what?"
There was a brief silence, then Worf asked, "Commander, I'm not sure I understand what you three are talking about. I'm sure they will ask questions, though."
"Yes, but why they were out here is none of our business, now is it Worf?" Will said with irritation in his voice.
Worf back down. "No, it is not."
"I sense you have a story yourself." Calana said.
"Yes, a long one, but with a happy ending."
"The emotion I sense from you is a feeling of irony."
"Yes, only I was a brash lieutenent, working at the Embassary. I assume that's were Charles is from."
"Yes, he is."
"What house?"
"Huh? Oh, Eighth."
Will sighed. "Something tells me your mother is a lot like someone else I know."
Her eyes widen. "Really? Who?"
"Doesn't matter, but in time your mother will come around."
Calana sighed. "I hope so."
They walked in silence the rest of the way until they got close to the mobile unit.
"I didn't realize it the first time I arrived, but there's nothing left!" Calana exclaimed in shock. "Where do you think I'll find my mother?"
"I don't know. She could be anywhere still." Will said sympathetically.
Calana was confused on what she wanted to do. She did not know if she wanted to stay with Charles or look for her mother. She was worried about both of them and feared the worse for her mother, since she did not know where she was.
Finally, she made her decision as a doctor attended to Charles. "May I stay long enough to find out if he'll be alright and what's going to happen to him?"
"Yes, ma'am." Said a Doctor. "But try not to get in the way."
"I'll try not to." Then she turned to Charles. "Charles, I'm going to stay long enough to see what's going to happen next and then I'll look for Mother."
He looked at her and nodded his head. "You go ahead and find her. I'll be fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
She rose and for a moment Will swore there was a silent, intimate moment between them. Then she bent over and kissed the young man lovingly.
Before she left she spoke to Will. "Thank you."
"You're very welcome. That's what we're here for."
"You know, don't you?"
As if by instinct, Will understood her question and replied, "Yes, I do." Then he said one word that spoke volumes to the young woman. "RaBeem."
She studied him for a moment before she left to find her mother. Before she turned to walk away she smiled a sympathetic smile at Will. "I hope she too will be alright. She's a lucky woman."
Will said nothing as the young woman walked away. He felt it was a really ironic situation to run into, but probably not all that unusual. He felt for the young couple and wished them all the best.
He then tiredly joined a Search and Rescue team. He was also exhausted, but had to continue. He felt there was no relief and no more Starfleet ships would arrive to help them. He felt he was getting more discouraged and depressed by the minute. He felt they were not going to get out of this Hell he help create any time soon.
"My gods, Commander Riker! You look like you've been through Hell." Came Garth Xerx's voice.
"Xerx, you don't look much better yourself." Will replied. "How long have you been at this?"
"Since before your crew beamed down."
"That long, huh?"
"I was drafted."
"I can understand that." Will said sounding tired. Then he scanned the area they had entered. With a sigh, Will said, "The more time that passes the less likely we'll find anyone alive."
"I know." Xerx said sadly. "And the worse part is, I have to counsole the living when this is all over."
"How well I know. How well I know."